Introduction: Massachusetts Download PDF
As with many states early on in their history, agriculture was the prominent industry in the Massachusetts economy. The focus on agriculture quickly shifted to manufacturing however, as Massachusetts became a national and world leader producing textiles and machine tools during the Industrial Revolution. The last few decades have seen a shift in workers from manufacturing jobs to service jobs. One major reason for this growth in service jobs has been the increased importance of tourism.
Today services produce four-fifths of the gross state product, while manufacturing only provides one-sixth of the total. Prominent present day industries include higher education, health care, and high technology. These industries are bolstered by a particularly high proportion of professionally trained workers, which includes engineers, scientists, doctors, educators, and technicians.
Government
Symbols
State Seal: |
State Quarter: |
Time Zones:
| Standard Time | GMT-5 | |
| Daylight-Saving Time | GMT-4 | |
Statistics
- Per Capita Real GDP :
- $47,351
- Population:
- 6,497,970
- Percent of People Under Poverty Level:
- 10.3%
- Per Capita Personal Income:
- $45,877
- Percent of Population with a Bachelor's Degree:
- 21.4%
- Total Exports:
- $25,285,000,000
Top 5 Export Partner Countries
Canada
Netherlands
Germany
Japan
United Kingdom
Top 5 Export Merchandise
Chemicals Sales
Computers and Electronic Products Sales
Primary Metals Manufacturing
Machinery Manufacturing
Computers and Electronic Products Manufacturing
Major Cities
Boston, Springfield, Worcester
Major Airports
| Airport Name | City | |
| BOS | General Edward Lawrence Logan International | Boston |
Main Ports:
Boston, Fall River, Salem
Corporations
| Company | Fortune 1000 Rank: | Revenues ($millions) | Headquarter City |
| Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance | 90 | 24,863 | Springfield |
| Liberty Mutual Ins. Group | 95 | 23,520 | Boston |
| Raytheon | 96 | 23,274 | Waltham |
| Staples | 126 | 18,161 | Framingham |
| TJX | 133 | 17,516 | Framingham |